![]() ![]() ![]() Marion Loxley in this film, on the other hand, is no maid but a widow, who having run a large farm independent of a husband for a decade, is hesitant to relinquish trust to an unknown, though admittedly handsome, stranger. While the other filmic renditions of Robin Hood are not quite as atrocious, Maid Marions of the past have most general been dimwitted virgins, blindly head-over heels for their vagabond lover, which leads me to question any sentimentality held for older versions of the tale. In the perhaps most well-known and comparable version of this story, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Robin “flirts” with Maid Marion and supposedly earns her devotion by slapping her ass with a sword before dashing away from the men on his tail, and the film’s concluding fight scene is a blow-by-blow battle for her virginity as Robin rescues her from rape and forced marriage at the hands of the corrupt sheriff. While both Ebert and Roeper, in their independent reviews, appear openly puzzled by her casting in this role and the film’s take on the character-Ebert writes “Blanchett plays the role with great class and breeding, which is all wrong” and Roeper can’t seem to get passed either of the lead actors’ ages-I found this new Marion refreshing in her mature displays of strength and independence. Most pleasurable was the film’s female lead: Marion as played by Cate Blanchett. It furthermore touted Chomsky-esque politics, as Robin and Marion work together to unite people from below to fight the power above. For a story about bow and arrow wielding mercenaries combating an evil dictator, it surprisingly passed the Bechdel Test, staging important conversations between the current Queen of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Prince John’s Queen-to-be, Isabella of Angoulême, as well as vibrant village scenes, where Robin and Marion engage in dialogue with the men, women and children alike. Even more fun, for me at least, was the film’s unbridled commitment to strong female characters. Maybe it was the heat, the two and a half hour graduation I had just attended or the tension that always arises at such events when divorced parents are involved, but the Robin Hood I watched last Saturday night was entertaining, eloquent and dark-fit characteristics considering the story’s setting smack dab in the heart of England’s Middle Ages. ![]() Even more surprisingly, not far into the 130-minute long film, I found myself beginning to really enjoy it. But then last weekend, stranded in a “dry” town outside of Boston at a family reunion of sorts, I found myself oddly suggesting the movie to my similarly worn-out family members one evening. Not one for epic period piece action flicks, I had no intention of seeing the film, especially after reading its mediocre reviews. On May 14th, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood opened in theaters worldwide to indifferent and some would say dismal critical reception. ![]()
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